2008 Sterling Smith Scholar

Melvin S. Howard, III, a Morris College English major from Charleston, SC, has been selected as the 2008 Sterling L. Smith Scholarship recipient.

Funded through gifts to South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. (SCICU), the scholarship was established in 1996 to honor the legacy of Sterling L. Smith for his relentless years of service to higher education. The scholarship is awarded annually to a student attending a SCICU member institution.

A Morris College Presidential Scholar, Howard is also an O. R. Reuben Scholar and the recipient of the SC LIFE scholarship. In addition to his academic pursuits, he maintains a well-rounded college experience and is actively involved in a variety of campus organizations. A former sophomore class president, he served on the Advisory Council for Student Affairs and the Judiciary Committee. As a student-leader, Howard currently serves as First Vice President of the Student Government Association, Vice President of the Pre-Alumni Council, a residential hall assistant, and Chaplain of the Morris College Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Additionally, he is a Morris College Ambassador, peer tutor, peer counselor, and a member of the Honors Program.

Howard exemplifies the Morris College motto, “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve,” in a number of ways not only on-campus, but off-campus as well. His community activities include membership in the Interdenominational Ushers Council #1, the Youth Department of the Woman’s Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of South Carolina and the South Carolina Baptist Congress of Christian Education.

All nominees must be rising sophomores, juniors or seniors that are also recipients of a South Carolina Tuition Grant, have performed well academically and demonstrated those traits characterized by the life of Smith, including leadership and commitment to public affairs.